Taking the Fork
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: One tragic night has Bella and Edward struggling to save what they've spent a decade building together. Edward's memories of happier times seem to be what is helping Bella, but will too much history lead to a fork in the road. AH
1. A Fork in the Road

**I apologize in advance for the long A/N. This story has been sitting on my computer waiting for me to get a few more chapters completed so I could post with some regularity, and with the Fandom Gives Back auction starting tomorrow at midnight, and my one year anniversary of being a fanfiction author coming up next week, I decided to post this as a thank you. Check out my auctions at: http:/www (dot) thefandomgivesback (dot) com/browse (dot) php?id=312**

**Please note that this is an edited version of this story, the unedited copy will be posted on twcslibrary and chapters will be clearly marked if something has been cut out. Now on to the story details:**

**This story is a little bit different for me, because I've never tried to tell a story almost completely in memories before. This idea started as a strictly high school story, because at the time I've never written one of those before either, but I quickly saw it grow beyond that and after trying to figure out how to frame it, I took something I had planned to be a part of the later section of the story and brought it up front so now you know where they are, and the goal is to see how they got there. The entire story is from Edward's POV, unless otherwise mentioned, so I won't be putting that in every chapter; just know that it's his memories and his voice telling the story. This thing starts off nice and heavy, so let me know what you think!**

**When you see:**

**~%~%~%~%~**

**That is when it jumps to a memory from the past, or comes out of one. Usually he'll start talking about it and then it'll fade into his memory of the event instead of it all being in quotes because he's actually telling her out loud. Which he is, but we're in his mind as he remembers, not a fly on the wall…if that makes any sense.**

**The plan is to incorporate famous sports quotes or terminology from baseball for the titles of the chapters, with the reference placed just above the title, as you see below. In the case of the first chapter, it is not only the chapter, but the entire story that gets its title from the quote below.**

**Finally, I don't own Twilight, that's the creation of Stephenie Meyer. I'm a lifelong Mets fan, and to say that nowadays shows a devotion beyond logic (here's hoping we're healthy this year!) but sadly I don't own the rights to them either. I am however the owner of all original characters and plots within this story and copying this story for your own purpose is not only a crime against me, but goes against the general good will of the fandom, which is filled with lovely ladies and some very brave men. This is the first time I've ever felt the need to put up a warning like this, but there has been a rash of story theft in the fanfic community and I don't want the masses to suffer for the mistakes of a few.**

**

* * *

**

_If you come to a fork in the road, take it._ ~ Yogi Berra

* * *

**Taking the Fork**

Chapter 1 – A Fork in the Road

"Bella, I didn't ask you if you wanted to discuss this. I'm telling you that we're discussing this, now start explaining!" I weaved around a minivan that was barely doing the speed limit on the Long Island Expressway, tucking back into the right lane as soon as I was clear.

"Not while you're this upset, and certainly not while you're driving, now slow down before you get us killed!" She fired back, shrinking back into the seat as she looked at the traffic on the service road that ran along the side of the expressway.

"Don't turn this into another lecture about my driving." I gripped the steering wheel as I looked ahead at the ridiculous traffic that always managed to clog up the road no matter what time of day it was.

"Edward…this hasn't been working for a while and I just didn't want to bring a child into the middle of all this animosity." She looked down at her hands as she spoke; her voice was quiet, defeated.

"And you didn't think that might have been something to discuss with your husband?" The anger grew in me again. Frustrated, I pulled off at Exit 37 with a quick move of the wheel.

"Edward watch the-" Her voice was cut off by the sound of a horn blaring and bright lights, quickly followed by screeching tires and crushed metal as our car slid back into the left lane and slammed into the wall along the exit ramp. Bella's scream rang in my ears as I struggled to open my eyes before my consciousness slipped away.

The next thing I heard was the yelling of the doctors and nurses for a minute before the darkness took me again.

I don't know how long I was out for, but when the sounds around me began to make sense again, I was jarred by them. I heard my family and friends, their worried voices buzzing in hushed tones, but the one person whose voice was absent was Bella's. Opening my eyes, I was met by my father's relieved face. "Oh thank goodness, my son, you had us so worried."

"Edward? Oh my sweet baby boy!" My mother's sobs came harder as Alice rushed to my bedside with Jasper behind her.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again. Emmett and Rose are here too, they just stepped out to get the doctor."

I tried to talk, but realized that there was a tube helping me to breathe, which also made speaking impossible. The doctor entered and proceeded to check my stats and make notes on my chart. "All right, Mr. Cullen, you seem to be breathing well now that you're awake, so we're going to try unhooking the ventilator. If your O2 levels stay up, then we'll remove the breathing tube. Do you understand?"

I nodded, wanting to get this over with so I could find out what happened. As it was now, I couldn't remember much. They removed the tube attached to the one down my throat and then waited to see how I responded. After they were satisfied with my breathing, they removed the tube that had been down my throat.

"It will be painful to talk for a while, so try to speak as little as possible." I nodded again and waited for him to leave with the nurses.

Once we were all alone, I looked up at everyone where they stood around my bed. "Where's Bella?" I rasped out as my family all looked down with the exception of Alice, who betrayed her silence by glancing to the side, drawing my attention to the bed next to me, where Bella lay unconscious. "No!" I yelled hoarsely, cursing myself inwardly as I struggled against the wires, tubes, and the pain of my injuries in the seconds before three sets of hands pushed me gently but firmly back onto the mattress. "What's wrong with her?"

My father stepped up to the head of my bed. "Edward, it's a miracle that either of you are alive at all right now after the accident the other day. While you did suffer some serious injuries, Bella's side of the car bore the brunt of the impact of the crash…" he trailed off, unable to actually tell me what I knew was coming. "…Edward, they're doing everything they can for her, but there's a chance Bella may never wake up."

My breathing became more labored as the tears welled up in my eyes. I did this to her. I had been driving like a maniac. I had been too busy fighting to pay attention when I got off the expressway. And if she died, if my Bella died…I would be the one that killed her. "Edward, son, you have to calm down or they'll have to sedate you again. Please, son, we just got you back."

The weight of my father's words hit me as I sank in the bed. He proceeded to tell me what he knew. The driver of the other car had been on their cell phone when they ran the red light just before the exit ramp, so when they went to merge into the left lane as I attempted to cross the three lanes to get to the far right lane, we collided, sending my car into the wall, while his car spun out and stopped before the next intersection. The driver called 911 and told them that he hadn't been paying attention. Even though I was going too fast, lots of cars fly off that exit, and it had been him who entered our lane before I could even try to get over.

The story made sense, and I certainly wasn't thinking about personally pressing charges against a middle school teacher with a mortgage for something that I felt just as guilty over. When the police arrived to speak to me a few hours later, I found out that all security footage and eye witness testimony had cleared me of any wrong doing, and I made my intentions clear as far as not going after the man in the other car.

My family came back in, but soon had to leave after my heart rate was a little too high for the nurse's liking.

Watching Bella from my bed that night, I prayed for the first time since I was little that she would wake up, because the idea of being without her was too much for me. When I finally fell asleep, I was happy to dream of nothing at all, instead of reliving the crash and the moments that led up to it.

I woke up the next morning with a new nurse, who smiled as she checked my injuries. Not entirely sure what was wrong with me, I looked up and used some of the never fail Cullen charm.

She laughed before telling me that I had a broken left leg and a compound fracture in my left wrist, along with some badly bruised ribs and sternum, but thankfully, no breaks there. I also had some internal injuries, which was the main thing they were monitoring now that I was awake, but I should be allowed to go home soon. Looking back over to Bella, the nurse, whose name I couldn't remember, smiled at me. "Would you like to sit by her for a little bit?"

I stared at her, shocked. "I can do that?"

She nodded and smiled wider. "Right now, you have bed to chair privileges, which includes the recliners as long as you ring to move back to the bed. I have to get a bed check monitor, so you can't try and go AWOL on us, but if you give me a few minutes, I should be able to get you all set up."

As she went to leave, I spoke up, feeling the need to thank her for the effort. "Thank you so much…"

"Bianca. And don't worry about it. Pretty soon you'll be free to come and go as you please, so we might as well let you two have some private time before the fan club arrives for the afternoon." She winked before running off.

Twenty-five minutes later, I was well acquainted with my bed check alarm, which I would never intentionally set off; it was so fucking annoying. Bianca and one of the floor nurses, Karen, were helping to get me into the recliner before she pushed it over to Bella's bedside. Finally, she handed me the call button and the remote before getting me properly situated, letting me know that if she didn't hear from me, she'd check on me in an hour.

Reaching over, with my casted hand, I picked up Bella's and began stroking it with my good hand before my ribs protested, forcing me to try and show her that I was there with my hand half covered in the cast.

"Well, Bella, I really screwed up this time. If I had only listened to you…you wouldn't be in that bed like that. They haven't said anything officially to me, but I'm done playing ball. I just don't see me recovering from a fracture like this without the pain being too great every time I catch a line drive. But that's not what matters right now. Now, you have to get better, because I can't think about living the next fifty years without you there. I was just thinking back to the day I finally woke the fuck up. After three months of grumbling about Alice having you over every day, I really noticed you. And I've been lost ever since."

~%~%~%~%~

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

My hand slammed down on the alarm clock as the smell of breakfast wafted into my room. Another school day. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't spent my entire Spring Break training for our first game of the season today. I ran down the stairs after throwing on some clothes and heard the arguing before I even hit the kitchen.

"Don't you two have homes, with parents to feed you, instead of coming here every morning?" Alice was just back from vacation and none too pleased to see my boys here bright and early, even if she was dating one of them.

"Hey Al, chill! What are you on the rag?" Emmett barked out and I suppressed the urge to vomit.

"Can we not talk about Ali's 'situation' before I've had my coffee?"

"Can we not talk about my 'situation' ever?" Alice poured me a cup of coffee with the look in her eye that I knew was going to make me hurt in a minute…she was about to drop a bomb. "Edward, you have to be ready soon, we need to pick up Bella on the way to school."

Bella Swan. Alice's new project. She had moved here during the Christmas break, and since they met in first period history Alice had become determined to help her shed her tomboy image, but Bella had managed to resist so far. "Alice, she has her truck why are we driving her?"

"Bertha died last night, so when we get over there, show some respect." I rolled my eyes at her, seriously who names their car?

"Fine, just let me finish grabbing my breakfast." I took one of the rolls and threw some bacon and eggs on it, before wrapping it up and dumping my coffee into a travel mug. Running upstairs, I grabbed my coat and bag and ran back downstairs to see Alice and Jasper sitting in the front seat, Emmett's Jeep was already gone. Climbing into the back seat, I took out my sunglasses and bit into my sandwich.

10 minutes later we pulled in front of Chief Swan's house and Bella came bounding out of the house and nearly fell when she reached the bottom step. Recovering before completely falling on her ass, she slid in behind Jasper. "Hey Alice, Jasper…Edward."

"Hey Bella, how was Miami?" Jasper asked as he turned around to face us.

"It was great, I was really glad Alice's parents let her come with me."

"Your mom is so awesome; she's like a really cool aunt that your mom's always worried to let you spend the weekend with."

"It's only awesome in small doses." Bella muttered too low for Alice to hear, but I caught it, deciding not to bring it up.

"Want half my egg sandwich?" I held it out towards Bella, not entirely sure how to interact with her even after three months of her hanging out with Alice, we didn't have much in common.

"Sure. Hey Edward, why aren't you driving your Volvo to school?" Bella looked up as she took a bite from the sandwich.

"He lost his privileges over break; but he won't tell me what he did yet," Alice commented from the front and I kicked her seat.

"Don't kick my girl's seat!" Jasper scowled at me.

"She was my sister before she was your girlfriend, son. You don't make the rules."

Bella laughed next to me and I looked over. "What?"

She smiled at me and looked up through her lashes. "Nothing, I just wish I had a sibling to kick my chair sometimes." Well hell, if today wasn't 'learn more about Bella's home life day.'

Pulling up to school, Bella got out and thanked Alice for the ride before heading off to meet up with Angela and Jessica. "Thanks, Edward, I know you don't really like Bella-"

I stopped her right there. "Alice it isn't that I don't like her, I don't know her."

"Well seeing as you're grounded for the next month, you'll have plenty of time to get to know her." Alice winked at me and I reached out to mess with her hair before she dodged me.

"Damn, you caught a month for-"

"Jasper! Not a word." Nodding at me, he grabbed Alice's hand and started walking towards class. Heading out on my own, I set out for another mind numbing day of classes.

Lunch mercifully came pretty quick. I sat with my head down, trying to figure out my damn English assignment. "Bella!" Alice called out, and I looked up to see a bright red Bella walk towards our table.

"Alice, do you have an indoor voice?" Bella quipped and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Hey, are Ang and Jess coming to the game?" Alice questioned with that 'please say yes' bounce that everyone recognized.

"Jess is, but Angela is babysitting." Bella answered, playing with her lemonade bottle.

"Does Jessica think she's subtle? Because blind deaf mutes know that she wants to blow Mike." Emmett bellowed in the small cafeteria.

Bella snorted and Rosalie smacked the back of Emmett's head. "Ass!"

"If it meant he'd let her, then she wouldn't care. It's kind of her mission in life, and it's really annoying," Bella commented.

"Don't worry, we'll run interference for you. Jessica Stanley is scared shitless of me for some reason."

"Maybe it's because you're a bitch." Jasper snapped from across the table.

If their similar looks weren't enough, the way the Hale twins fought and teased each other was proof enough that the nine months of quality time they'd shared together when their mother was pregnant with them had been nine months too long in their opinion. But if you messed with one of them, the other would be right there to fuck you up.

The bell rang and Bella and I headed off for Biology, the one class we shared. Walking kind of close behind her, we entered the classroom and sat at our lab tables, which were right next to each other. Mr. Banner came in and shuffled his papers. "Alright class, we have a little seating change, since Mr. Shea has moved and is no longer in this class, Mr. Cullen and Miss Swan will now be lab partners. Mr. Cullen, why don't you move to Miss Swan's lab table?"

Getting up, I sat next to Bella as Mr. Banner handed out the blood typing kits. I knew my blood type and probably would have used that to ditch, but Bella looked a little unsteady next to me. As the class began to prick their fingers and test their blood, Bella laid her head on the table, having never gotten around to sticking herself.

"Bella, are you okay?" She looked up at me and shook her head. "Mr. Banner, I think Bella's feeling faint."

Mr. Banner looked up and nodded. "Mr. Cullen, why don't you take her to the nurse as I'm sure you already know your blood type."

Standing up, I helped Bella to her feet and carried our bags. We made it out the door and about halfway out to the path that led to the office when Bella stumbled and began to sink to the ground. Adrenaline coursed through me as I grabbed her before she hit the ground and lowered her carefully. I knelt over her and waited for her eyes to flutter open again before I let out a breath. "Bella, are you okay?"

"No, I feel like hell. I'm sorry, Edward." She grimaced as she covered her face with her hand.

"Don't apologize for fainting." I slung her bag better over my shoulder so it would hold mine in place, and then bent down to lift her off the ground.

"What are you doing?" She tried to sound annoyed, but she was still too woozy to sound as angry as she probably meant it.

"I'm carrying you to the nurse. I can't very well drag you there."

She tried to argue, but I was making good time, and soon had the office door open. Ms. Cope flew around the counter and opened the nurse's office door. "Is she okay?"

"I'm fine." Bella muttered as we passed through the door.

"What happened here, another accident in gym?" Bella grumbled as the nurse motioned for me to sit Bella in one of the chairs. Sitting next to her, I kept my arm loose around her to prop her up.

"No, she fainted during blood typing." The nurse nodded, and I leaned down to Bella. "How often do you come to the nurse's office?"

Bella let out a stifled laugh. "I'm so clumsy, I'm practically a cripple." I laughed with her, eyeing Eric Yorkie where he was curled up on the one cot in the room.

"Mr. Yorkie, your mother's here." Ms. Cope called from the outer office and he got up from the cot before stumbling to the door. Bella leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Edward."

"For what? Not leaving you on the pavement?" I sounded as annoyed as I was feeling. Was that really what she thought of me?

"No, for noticing that I was sick in the first place, and then taking care of me. I usually fight it more, but I'm just too tired now to be rude."

I snickered as the nurse handed Bella an icepack, which she placed on the back of her neck. "Are you feeling a little better?" Bella nodded against my shoulder and I got up for a moment. "I'll be right back."

Getting up, I went to the outer office. "Ms. Cope, could you excuse Bella from her last class of the day? I don't think she'll be feeling up to it."

Ms. Cope smiled. "I already excused her from Gym. You just go in there and tell that sweet girlfriend of yours that she's done for the day." Girlfriend…what?

"We're just friends." I muttered before I opened the nurse's office door to see Bella standing back up. "So, you want a ride home?"

"No, I want to stay and watch the Spartans play their first game of the season. School spirit and all that mess." She smiled and walked through the door that I now held open for her.

"Well you're free from gym, so do you want to hang out until I have to get ready for the game?" I'd spent more quality one-on-one time with Bella today than I had in the past three months. I could already tell she was different from a lot of the other girls, and I should know, because I'd become quite popular with the girls this year.

Bella looked up at me for a minute. "You don't have class?"

I shook my head. "I would be in your Gym class, but athletes get credit for their after school sports, so I only take gym during the fall."

"Lucky bastard." Bella laughed as we made our way to the bleachers by the baseball field.

"So, why'd you move to Forks…if you don't mind me asking?" I felt like a dipshit for not having asked her when I first met her, but suddenly I wanted to know.

"My mom got remarried and I wanted her to have a little more freedom. My step dad travels a lot and she was staying home for me. I haven't lived with Charlie since I was a baby, so I decided to move up here."

"Do you regret it?" I'd noticed that she was uncomfortable with the popularity being the new girl at a tiny school had gained her, so I had to ask.

"No. I have more friends here, and people seem nice enough. There are a lot of fake people in Phoenix. It's sad when your spray on tan is the most genuine thing about you."

I laughed at her comment. Bella was a lot funnier than I had noticed, but then again, I hadn't spent much time around her, which I now regretted.

"Hey, Edward, since we're being all honest here, mind if I ask you something?"

I nodded and turned to the field quickly before cutting my eyes to her. "Shoot."

Bella smirked. "What'd you do to get grounded?"

I moaned, rolling my eyes. Well, you offered. "Jaz, Em, and I snuck onto the field after practice one night and got drunk. We were stupid and passed out. Coach O'Reilly woke us up at 6:30 the next morning. It could have been worse; your dad could have caught us. As it was, coach just worked our hungover asses twice as hard and then called our parents. My dad flipped out, talking about how I never used to act this way. That's why I got grounded for a month and got my car taken away."

"You're talking about Irina and them, right?" She looked down as she asked and I suddenly found the dirt under the bleachers very interesting. How did she know about that? Damn! I don't know why I should be surprised, everyone knew about me. I mean, I was no Laurent, his sexploits were legendary, but considering the fact that I dumped Jessica over Christmas break, I shouldn't be surprised that she told her new friend about me. Still, I didn't like the idea of Bella thinking badly of me.

"I'm not a bad guy." I'm not sure why I said that out loud, but I did, and Bella's eye shot up to meet mine.

"I never said you were." Her hand reached out to rest on mine and I felt a tiny jolt. I realized what I thought had been adrenaline earlier was really this pulse that was radiating between us. Bella pulled away and I heard the commotion coming from the school.

"I better go get ready for the game." Bella nodded and I stopped before running off to the locker room. "Charlie works late on Monday's right?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna spend the night working on my English assignment."

"Why don't you come over and eat with us? I'm sure Alice and my mom would love it. Besides, I'm lost when it comes to that essay, so I'll need all the help I can get."

"Edward, I know about your GPA, I'm sure you'll do fine on your own…but I'd love to have dinner with your family." I smiled, running off before I could open my mouth and say anything else.

Suiting up, I ignored Mike's lewd conversation about the BJ cheering section that was going to be waiting in the stands. Our school had really bad sports teams, with the exception of baseball, which had won the championship the past three years.

Running out to the field, we warmed up as I looked over to see Bella and Alice surrounded by Rose and Jessica. Tanya, Lauren, and their posse sat a few feet away. After a few more throws around the horn, we headed in for a quick pep talk before taking the field for the start of the game.

After a line drive to center field, and a quick steal from Jasper, we'd already scored three runs and were only three outs from ending our first game with an easy victory. Rocking in my ready position, the ball was a soft grounder right to me, so I scooped it up and lobbed it to Mike at second base as he got the out before firing it off to Emmett at first. Getting the double play, the cheers started again before I heard it. "Nice 6-4-3!"

We all looked over to see Bella on her feet, cheering while even the girls looked at her like she was unbalanced.

I laughed at the idea that Bella actually knew the position numbers, wondering who she had learned it from.

Focusing on the last out, Jasper was able to strike out the next batter as we ran in to say our "good games" and get the hell out of there.

By the time we had showered and met up at Emmett's Jeep, the girls were long gone so we drove off to my house for dinner and some 'homework.'

Walking in the front door, the smell coming from the kitchen was unbelievable. Expecting to see my mom hard at work when we ran into the kitchen, the fact that Bella was alone in there threw us all off. "Short stack, you're feeding us tonight?"

Bella laughed at Emmett's term for her, shaking her head as she turned to grab some spices from the island. "Yeah, Esme's at a meeting in Seattle and Carlisle's upstairs getting ready for his night shift."

"We could have ordered in, I didn't invite you over to put you to work." I walked over and leaned up against the counter next to the stove where Bella was hard at work.

"I don't mind. I love cooking, but I never really get to cook for more than two or three people, its fun cooking for a big group of people." Bella smiled and my heart sped up. It was ridiculous that it took me this long to notice how amazing she was, but I was determined to make up for lost time. "Edward, if you seriously want help with the assignment for English, why don't you grab your book and we'll figure it out now?"

I ran back to my bedroom to grab my book and then joined Bella in the kitchen while the guys went to find their girlfriends. We spent the next hour discussing _Pride & Prejudice _before Bella started plating the food and throwing the dishes in the sink so they could soak while we ate. I helped her, moving everything into the dining room just as my dad came downstairs ready for work. "That smells delicious, Bella, but you didn't have to cook."

"Edward said the same thing, but I don't mind." She smiled as we all sat down and ate her Penne and grilled chicken ala vodka. This was seriously a great meal, as you could clearly tell from the absolute silence at the table.

Soon my dad left and I headed upstairs for a little while, expecting the girls would be hanging out downstairs like they usually did after my boys went home.

It wasn't until about 9pm when I got thirsty that I went down and found Bella flipping through the channels alone on the sectional sofa. "Bella, where are Alice and Rosalie?"

"Probably screwing Jasper and Emmett." She quipped with a slight edge to her voice.

"So they just left you here?" I was pissed that my sister was being such a crappy friend.

"I'm used to it by now, plus they had made their plans before you asked me to come over for dinner. They knew I hated being alone at my house so they-"

"Left you alone here? Hell, you should have come up and gotten me, I would have come down and kept you company."

"I didn't want you to feel obligated to watch me."

I plopped down next to her on the couch and took the remote. "Bella, I know I've been a prick since you got here, but I just hadn't taken the time to get to know you. With everything that's happened in the last year and the train wreck that was my break-up with Jessica, I wasn't interested in Alice's new 'bff,' but now I feel like an ass, because we could have become really good friends these past few months."

Bella took the hand that was still holding the remote and I felt that pulse again. "Can we start now?"

I smiled and nodded, changing the channel. "Sure, you want to watch a movie?"

Bella nodded and leaned into my side as I started flipping through the movie channels and found _Wes Craven's New Nightmare_ was just starting.

"Have you ever seen this?"

"No."

"Oh, we have to watch this now. It's great, the whole movie is about how evil can be captured in an art form as long as it is taken seriously, so once it becomes a joke, Freddy starts raising hell." Bella laughed next to me and we settled in to watch it.

It was around the point where Julie, the babysitter, is murdered in Dylan's hospital room that Bella turned into my chest and buried her face as she thoroughly freaked out. Grabbing the remote, I turned off the movie and shook Bella's shoulders. "Bella, it's okay. The movie's off."

She looked up at me with frightened eyes before Rosalie came in, shooing me away, as Alice walked Jasper to the door and they started their sleepover.

Going upstairs, I fell asleep quickly and was woken up by Alice pinching my pec. "Fuck, Alice, what's your problem?"

"Seriously, Edward, _Wes Craven's New Nightmare_? Could you have picked a worse movie to watch with her right before bed? The whole movie is about how even in the real world falling asleep can get you skewered by a psycho killer."

"So, Bella can't fall asleep?" I was trying to shake the sleep from my head and wasn't really succeeding.

"No, she falls asleep and then wakes up screaming, freaking herself out, and giving us all heart failure. So you're going down there and taking care of her. You made this mess, and if someone is getting a shit's night sleep because of it, it isn't going to be me."

Alice slapped my chest once more for good measure and then went to her room. I grabbed my pillow and headed downstairs, Rosalie nearly taking me out on the stairs as she ran for the silence that the upper floors would provide. Making it into the living room, Bella was sitting up, curled into a ball on the couch. I felt like shit the moment I saw her tears. "Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you watch that movie. Come here."

I sat down and she moved over to curl into my chest like she had earlier. I pulled one of the blankets over and wrapped us up in it. "Edward, how does the movie end?"

"Heather falls asleep and kills Freddy, banishing him back to hell." She nodded and rested her head over my heart.

"Edward, I'm afraid to fall asleep." Her whisper was so quiet I almost missed it.

"Don't worry. You're safe…I won't let anything hurt you."

She sighed and was soon asleep, wrapped around me, making it uncomfortable to sleep, but I didn't care, because she didn't wake up again the rest of the night.

~%~%~%~%~

I looked up at her face, remembering that promise from all those years ago and how bad I was at keeping it. She had trusted me completely, despite each time I failed her.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Please, baby, wake up. I need you to get better and open your eyes. I know you're in there. I can feel it." I reached over and placed my fingers on the back of her palm. "You still feel it, don't you? You can't be gone if that pulse is still there, so come back to me."

"Mr. Cullen?" I turned to see Bianca standing at the door.

I nodded and leaned a little closer to Bella. "I have to get back in bed now, but I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere."

I sat back and Bianca pushed the chair to the edge of the bed and helped me climb up, settling me with all the pillows. Once I was settled, she gave me a shot of morphine for the pain and everything faded as the weight settled over me.

**All right. There's the first chapter of **_**Taking the Fork**_**. What do you think? You'll be getting the story of how they fell in love in a "story of us" kind of way. Each chapter Edward will tell Bella about some of the moments that he felt were important to their relationship, hoping to will her back to him. They're in the spring of their junior year of high school in 2001 and present day is 2010, so that makes them 25 at the point this is taking place. (Whoop '84 babies!) Leave me love, and as always thanks to my beta A Cullen Wannabe for taking this on. Love you hon!**


	2. It's What You Beget

**A/N: I'm sorry this took forever for another chapter to come…I had written out a few and then realized that I'd made a huge error with a major plot point and had to go back and practically start from scratch. With GOLF ending and L(a)1B moving closer to completion, I'm working this into the rotation and keep up the progress I've made with my updates the past few weeks. **

**Thanks to Mizzdee, for stepping in to beta this while A Cullen Wannabe was unable to do so, I love your dedication to me, and your friendship. Every night in the WC's earns you a little more of my heart, I've said it before, but her work is really great, so if you have a moment, check her out!**

**Here's the most recent trip down memory lane…I hope you enjoy.**

_Sport begets tumultuous strife and wrath, and wrath begets fierce quarrels and war to the death. ~Horace_

Chapter 2 –It's what you Beget

I felt the pain in my chest before my eyes opened. As the harsh light blinded me, I turned to the side, seeing my mother sitting next to Bella. "Dear, I need you to come back to us. Poor Edward…the look in his eyes when he saw you…he blames himself for this. But I'm sure you know that, it's in his nature to take it on himself. I'm not sure he could survive losing you, so please don't ask him to try."

I shifted at the motherly guilt trip being laid on my unconscious wife. After Renee died during her freshman year of college, my mom took the job of surrogate mother even more seriously, especially where it pertained to me. The groan that accompanied my move caused my mother's head to shoot up and rush to my side. "Don't guilt her, mom; we all know she can't say no to you."

"That's exactly why I did it. I won't see that happen again-"

"Mom, not now, please." I silenced her worry as another pain radiated from my chest. "Do I have a doctor, because the only person I've seen is Bianca?"

"Dr. Kenneth should be here soon, he always stops by between 8 and 9am to check on you before going about his day." My mother smiled as if almost on cue, my doctor walked in.

"Mr. Cullen, my name is Dr. Kenneth. It's good to see you awake today. I see that you're breathing well without being intubated and your pressure and temperature are all good. Now the important part, how are you feeling?"

"Sore. My chest feels heavy and it aches when I breathe. And I know my career is over because of my wrist."

He nodded. "The pain in your chest is from the bruised muscles and bones, which will go away in a few weeks, but with the type of wrist fracture you sustained it is unlikely that you could play again. I'm sorry, my family and I are Mets fans so you'll be sorely missed at our house." Dr. Kenneth smiled and I nodded, and then thought back to what Bianca had said yesterday.

"One of the nurses said I might be going home soon?"

Again he looked at my chart and then met my eyes. "I've discussed it with your father and you'll have someone with you to make the transition easier, so yes, you'll be released either tonight or tomorrow, depending on your stomach. They should be up any moment to take you for a CT for one last check on the internal bleeding, but barring complications you could be home very soon."

I looked over at Bella; the thought of leaving her here alone was more painful than what I felt physically. "How's my wife doing?"

"I'm not her doctor, so I honestly can't tell you anything, but if you'd like I could get the nurse to see when her doctor will be making rounds so you can ask him."

I knew it was the best he could do, so I sighed and thanked him before the orderlies came to bring me downstairs for a CT.

Two hours later my room was filled with family and friends and Bella's doctor was finishing his prognosis. Her broken bones would heal, the bleeding would right itself, just like mine did and the only unknown was her mind. There had been some bleeding, but it had been handled; now all that remained was for her to wake up so they could do a check for brain damage, which required her ability to respond to their questions. He told us that the brain was a remarkable organ and that each body responded differently, that her unconsciousness was her body healing itself and I shouldn't be discouraged, but I couldn't help worrying that she'd never wake up.

After he left, it was the end of the morning visiting hours so the room cleared out and Savannah, my new nurse, came in to help me into the recliner and push it over. These nurses were ridiculously strong, and worked so hard on the floor that I found myself constantly thanking them; it was after all because of them that I got my one on one time with Bella.

Adjusting in the chair, I took her hand in mine again and heaved a sigh. "So, I won't be here long, but I wanted to tell you while we were alone that I'm still going to visit you every day until you come home." I thought back to yesterday and the memory I shared with her form our beginning, smiling as another one came to mind, with me being bullish as always. "Bella, remember the party after that huge game right after you and I started hanging out…I'm sure you do. I'm the one that's forgotten over the years."

~%~%~%~%~

The party scene in Forks was intricate for a small town, but that was mainly because we were trying to avoid a visit from Chief Swan, and none more than I was these past few weeks since Bella and I began really hanging out. There was a rotation, and we always tried to keep it under control, but it helped that the Hale's, McCathy's and our family all had houses in the woods on the way out of town, so when we hosted parties, which was usually after important games, we could go a little crazier without the neighbor's hearing about it. The big game against the La Push Wolves was this Thursday so we were having the party at my house while my father was at a medical conference with my mom.

We'd gone on a beer run with the seniors and had managed to pilfer some alcohol from various liquor cabinets with our parents being none the wiser. Now we just had to win the game.

The whole day of, the team wore their team t-shirts, and I noticed Bella eyeing me in it more than once. Ever since Spring Break and the week that followed, we'd become friends, spending a lot of time together simply as our group was already paired up with the exception of us. We watched movies and listened to music while we studied, and she debated me on the merits of fighting in hockey and some of the inane rules in pro baseball. It was great, but I was starting to want more.

The game was easily won; their pitcher was injured so every pitch from the replacement was an easy hit. After the game, Alice and Rosalie whisked Bella off to get ready, so I was left to throw on some clothes and help set up for the party.

Our classmates started to flow into the house and soon Alice arrived with Bella looking cute as hell in jeans and a tight V-neck top. I wasn't going to push it, but if she spent the evening hanging out with me, I wouldn't be one bit upset about it either. Things between us were easy and I liked having her around. As it was she hung out with her girlfriends for the first part of the party, and I was over with most of the team.

I'd been watching Bella drink beer after beer and I wasn't too happy to see who else noticed. Newton had been honed in on her even though all he had to do was whistle to call Jessica to suck him off, and that worried me.

The guys had gotten me involved with a game of beer pong and when it was over, Bella was nowhere to be seen. I found Alice and she gestured to the stairs saying Bella hadn't been feeling well so she was going to use her bathroom, as the upstairs floors were off limits and everyone knew it.

I jogged up the stairs and poked my head into Alice's room, but the noises I heard next were coming from across the hall, in my room. I walked to the door and heard the distinct sound of two people making out when Bella's voice spoke in little more than a whisper.

"Mike, stop. I'm drunk, and-"

I had my hand on the knob as I heard him interrupt her. "Come on, Bella. You know you want this too…just relax, baby."

I threw the door to my bedroom open and Mike jumped, giving Bella the space to sneak past him and lock herself in my bathroom. I stormed over to Mike as he tried to step around me and rejoin the party. "You're a worthless bastard, and if she wasn't my main concern, you'd be fucking dead right now."

"Stop acting like you're not trying to get into those panties just as much as I was. You're not some good guy; no one buys the shit you're selling." Mike stepped toe to toe with me, even though he was over a head shorter.

"Get out of my room and don't you ever come upstairs during a party again." I hissed before locking my bedroom door behind him and turning to check on Bella. "Bella, can you unlock the door?"

"No! Just go away, Edward. I don't want anyone to see me right now."

I sighed at the tears I knew she was crying because of the sound of her voice. "Bella, I can't do that."

"Why not?" She called through the door.

"Because you're in my room. The party's gonna be over soon, so how about you come out here with me and we'll get you ready to crash with Alice and them in her room."

I was afraid I'd never be allowed back into my bathroom when the door opened and I walked in to see Bella huddled next to the toilet. She looked so small and broken, and there was a pull to her, to make sure she was okay.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" The thought of him having actually hurt her had me wanting to run down the stairs and pummel him, but I had to know that it was actually the case.

"No, I'm just embarrassed. I shouldn't have drank that much, I mean, hell, I almost gave Mike Newton my V-card."

That had me stunned silent. "Excuse me?"

Bella looked up at me with sad eyes and whispered. "I'm a virgin. Only now everyone's going to think I'm some whore."

My head was shaking before I found my voice. "No they aren't, because no one is going to know about it."

"Of course they will, Edward." She was staring at me like I was simple, which was an improvement over how she looked a little while ago.

"Bella, he just got rejected, that's not the type of thing a guy talks about. And you aren't going to tell anyone, and I sure as hell won't do that to you, so your secret is safe. Now come on, let's get you across the hall."

"I'm not staying here…Alice and Jasper asked me if I'd mind staying with Rose at her house, but she's going to Emmett's. I didn't tell them I didn't have a place to crash; I was planning on just heading home. My dad's out of town on a fishing trip with Harry Clearwater, they went to some other Reservation, it's a big thing they do every year, so I'll be home alone until Sunday night."

"It's a good thing I didn't know the Chief was out of town when we were setting this party up, otherwise it would have been so much crazier." Bella laughed and I was glad that I'd managed to make her smile; she was too damn pretty not to smile.

"So, you seem pretty sober, could you give me a ride?"

I shook my head again and offered her my hand. "No, but I'll let you crash in here, I'll take the floor…unless you'd rather I slept downstairs?"

"No. We've already slept on the couch together; I don't think it'll be too bad if we're in the same room."

"Okay, you stay here and I'll see about the party and I'll make sure to get your stuff before Alice and Jas lock themselves in the room."

Bella laughed again and I headed downstairs. The party was already winding down and we were looking at a pretty easy clean up as these parties went. I lied and said that Bella wasn't feeling well so I was going to go back up and check on her and the girls thanked me as they started cleaning with the guys so they could move on to their _other_ activities. Heading into Alice's room, I grabbed Bella's backpack and her overnight bag, knowing she'd never see it again if I didn't get it now.

"Thanks." Bella said quietly as she took the bag and went to change. I took the opportunity to grab my pj bottoms and a wife beater and got dressed before Bella came back into the room. I took the second pillow off my bed, brought it over to the couch, pulled the blanket off the top of the couch, and squeezed my ass on that couch as Bella walked out in shorts and a t-shirt. "Maybe I should sleep on the couch?"

"Bella, go to sleep." I knew if she kept pushing the issue, I'd take her up on the offer and I was trying to be chivalrous here. There was no fighting after that, as Bella and I both fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, I woke up to sexiest damn sight ever. I'm not quite sure when my feelings for Bella began to shift, but there was no denying it as I stared at her in my bed. Her legs were twisted in my sheets and she was clinging to my pillow, a small smile playing on her lips.

Trying not to be _that_ guy, I went into the bathroom in my parent's room down the hall with my clothes to jerk off in the shower and get dressed. When I walked back to my room, I could hear Bella moving around and I knocked, happy to have her call me in.

She was pulling on her socks when I pushed the door open, smiling up at me as she slipped on her shoes and exited my room. "I'll see you downstairs. And Edward, thanks about last night."

"It was nothing, really, don't worry about it."

I went around the room finding the things I needed for school and then headed down to meet Bella, I had no idea where Alice and Jasper were, but honestly, I didn't want to know right now.

We jumped in my car and drove to school, leaving us with a few minutes before the bell rang for first period. We sat in the car while some god-awful boy ban played on the radio, Bella's finger drumming out the beat like she could sing every word if not afraid of being embarrassed.

The parking lot started to empty, so we got out and headed to class, waiting for the weekend to come. The day seemed to drag as if it was trying to torment me, when at last the bell for last period rang. I went off campus to grab a bite and got back just before the final bell rang. Walking into the weight room, I could hear some of my teammates talking.

"No dude, I'm telling you, she had the tightest pussy I've ever fucked. It was like a choke hold on my dick, it was fucking amazing!" Newton was bragging pretty hard, but I couldn't figure out whom he had scored with.

"Seriously, I can't believe she gave it up to you? She's been following Cullen hard; I thought for sure he was banging her." Tyler, who gossiped worse than a fucking chick, was all over Mike for details…only now I was pretty fucking sure I didn't want to hear his confirmation of his bullshit.

"I guess he's got a needle dick, or was too slow to jump on it, cause I popped Swan's cherry last night in Cullen's bed!" The two of them, as well as a third guy I couldn't see, started laughing and I lost it, flying into the weight room and pinning Mike to the bench press machine.

"You take it back, you bastard!" I roared, freezing Tyler and Austin Marks, the other guy in the room, as I held Mike with my hand to his throat.

"Okay, okay, you don't have a needle dick!" Mike screamed back, but I just slammed him into the padded bench again and he huffed out a sharp breath.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, tell them the truth!" I shook him twice and he winced, but finally relented.

"Alright, I didn't fuck Swan last night, we started making out but she put the brakes on it."

I turned to the two other's in this room and stared them down. "This doesn't leave this room. You don't repeat a word of what he said today, you got it."

They both nodded and I stood up, releasing Newton and heading off to stretch before practice. I made it a few steps when I felt a weight slam into me, letting me know that Mike had jumped on my back, punching me in the face just as I swung and hit him back. The whistle was already blowing and Tyler and Austin pulled us apart as Coach stood in front of us, fucking irate.

"What the hell is this bullshit? You're teammates; you're supposed to be working together. I don't know what started this and I don't much care, but Cullen, you're done for the weekend, and Newton, I don't want to see you until Wednesday."

"A week? Why am I getting a week and Edward's only getting three days?"

"Because his hit was self-defense, you jumped him from behind. You should be grateful, I could go tell Principal Green and he'd suspend you, then you'd be off the team for the rest of the year? Would you like me to do that?"

We both shook our heads and I got up, walked to my car and drove home. When I got there, I took three Advil, got an ice pack, and headed upstairs to lie down.

I'm not sure how long I lay there before the slamming begun, but soon my door was flying open and Bella was at the foot of my bed, smacking me in the stomach to get my attention. "Are you a moron? I mean, seriously, are you trying to get kicked off the team?"

I sat up and let the ice pack fall to the floor, staring at her in disbelief, I'd done it to defend her, though I'm sure she didn't know it. "Of course not, that's a stupid thing to ask."

"Well for someone who says it's his life, you sure do a lot of things to fuck it up. You got drunk on the field during break; you're fighting with your teammates, what the hell is wrong with you? What were you fighting about anyway? What was so important that you would risk getting thrown off the team?"

I didn't answer her and that only seemed to tick her off more. "Fine, you know what, don't answer me, but I'm done with this macho bull, come find me when you want to talk."

"Jesus, Bella, can't you just leave it be and have enough faith that I had a good reason to pick a fight with that jackass?"

She crossed her arm and shook her head. "No, because I can't think of one thing that would be worth you throwing away what you love."

"You." I didn't yell it, but I didn't have to, the word alone stopped her short.

"What do you mean, me?"

"Mike was being a prick, I guess he was trying to cover his ass because they saw him go upstairs with you, so he told Tyler and Austin that he popped your cherry, so I tackled him and made him tell the truth. I also made the others swear to shut up about the whole thing. He got pissed and jumped me from behind, that's why he got it worse than I did from coach."

"You were defending me?" She looked a little awestruck.

"Yes. And I'd do it again." I looked down and away from her, not wanting to see the rejection in her eyes, but instead I was met by her soft hands on my face, her left holding my right cheek, while her right hand ghosted over the welt on my cheek that I'm sure looked just as bad as it felt.

"Does it hurt?" She spoke in a whisper, her face closer than I had expected it to be.

"I'll survive; I was more concerned with keeping my promise at the time."

"Your promise?" Her thumb made another delicate pass over the swollen flesh.

"I promised you last night that no one would know about what almost happened up here, and after today, no one will."

I heard her sigh and then felt her breath as it fanned over the side of my face. "My mom had a little remedy for taking the sting out of an injury, do you mind?"

I shook my head gently from the confines of her grasp and I felt her lips brush my cheek in the center of the bruise, then moving to the edge of it, a third kiss resting on the corner of my mouth, and then finally, the last kiss brought her lips down to mine as she continued her gentle approach.

Her face pulled away from mine and I smiled, cupping her own face in my hands and kissing her a little more deeply this time, but making sure not to push after the revelation of last night. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressure I wasn't even trying to place on her.

As this kiss ended, our eyes met and I decided that a joke was the best way to proceed at this point. "I don't know when I'll be free to actually follow through on this, but will you go out with me, Bella?"

She smiled and then it instantly morphed into a frown. "What do you mean, 'I don't know when I'll be free?'"

I laughed at her mocking tone. "When my parents find out I got in trouble again, I'm sure to get grounded again."

It was her turn to laugh and then she leaned in and kissed me one last time before standing up. "Yes."

Yes.

~%~%~%~%~

My ribs protested the position I was holding my body in, so reluctantly, I leaned back into the recliner. "That was one of the best days of my life, Bella. You opened up to me and let me in when you didn't have to. I'll always be grateful that you took a chance on me. I just wish you'd open those beautiful eyes so I can see for myself that you're going to be fine."

I sighed at the futility of begging her to wake up when she wasn't asleep by choice. The door opened and Dr. Kenneth came in with my file and a smile on his face. "So, the internal bleeding hasn't gotten any worse, in fact, I think you're okay to go home now. I'm having the nurse take care of your discharge papers. Now, I know you aren't going to be happy about this, but you have to use that wheelchair until your legs heals in six to eight weeks. By then your arm should be nearly healed as well. I know you don't want to hear it, but you have to listen to us and the medical staff your father may hire to help you."

"Can't I stay another night, doc?" I looked over to Bella and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry. Your father is having her moved to a private room, but the best thing you can do for Bella is let yourself heal so you can be strong enough to help her when she needs you. The visiting hours are longer on her new floor, so go home, get some rest and some real food, and come back tomorrow at 10am to see her. I want to see you in a few weeks, but the nurse will go over all of that information when you're discharged. Have a good evening, Edward."

I nodded and shook his outstretched hand. Thanking him as he walked out. My parents came in and my father along with Emmett, who followed them in, helped me into the bathroom to change into some real clothes. Once I was in a pair of shorts and a long sleeve shirt, they helped me into the wheelchair, the whole while my mother picked up the personal items that had accumulated. Most of them would be going to Bella's room, which my mother was sticking around for, while my brother and dad helped me get back home. I was warned about Charlie, who was pacing like a caged animal back in Forks, unsure of what was going on, but unable to make the trip out until his deputy got back from vacation.

I hadn't heard the news to know what he had heard, and was afraid of the number of bones he'd break based on TMZ's reports alone.

Bianca came in and handed me a pen, explaining the doctors I'd need to see and the timeframe for different aspects of my recovery. I was pleased to hear that she floated between this floor and the one Bella would be moved to, so she would still be a part of Bella's care, even if only three days a week.

An hour after the doctor left, I was being wheeled out to Emmett's rental car, where I was helped in and then my father and brother got in and pulled away. It was thirty minutes later that we were pulling into my driveway, my brother taking the long way to avoid the highway and the exit I always took to get home, the one the accident happened on.

They got me up to the master bedroom and Emmett called for some food to be delivered, while my father helped me with my medications. Emmett was staying for a while, with Rosalie heading back home tomorrow because the kids needed her and work couldn't wait. Alice and Jasper were leaving as well, coming back in shifts so that I'd always have someone with me.

My parents would be staying as well, but I knew that soon they'd be going home; planning to come back once Bella was awake. There was so much optimism in my mother's eyes, she wouldn't entertain the thought that it wouldn't end happily, so as the pain meds kicked in, I let my mind cling to her borrowed happy thoughts.


	3. An Unexpected Triple

Here's the latest for our slugger and his sleeping beauty. I'm really enjoying this one and the next few chapters are some of my favorites. A big shout out to the WC ladies and my beta's Mizzdee, and the master of the red pen on this ditty, A Cullen Wannabe.

**Voting is open until the 26th for the contest I'm co-hosting with Rosalynn, the Share Your Inspiration Anon O/S Contest To check out the entries and vote for your favorite check out the profile: **http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2580394/

* * *

I don't know why people like the home run so much. A home run is over as soon as it starts... The triple is the most exciting play of the game. A triple is like meeting a woman who excites you, spending the evening talking and getting more excited, then taking her home. It drags on and on. You're never sure how it's going to turn out. ~George Foster

* * *

Chapter 3 – An Unexpected Triple

I've had bad nights in my life, the worst of which were a few years ago when Bella and I hit our rough patch, but nothing compared to last night. Tossing and turning was impossible the way they had me cocooned in my pillows, but it didn't keep my body from trying. Someone, most likely my mom, had stopped by and changed the sheets, but by doing that, she removed the thing that helped me sleep through the night, Bella's scent.

Around 6:45, when I couldn't take it anymore, I screamed my frustrations and was soon hearing the pounding of feet in the hall before my door flew open and my parents were at my side.

"Edward, what is it? What hurts?" My mother's frantic voice had me shaking my head before I could form the words.

"Nothing. Can you help me get ready? I have to get to the hospital."

I saw the look between my parents before my mother edged closer. "Why don't I cook you something for breakfast, then your dad can help you shower and we'll talk some about your plan that way we can go over it with Emmett when he comes by. He's moving into the guest room across the hall today, so he's close by. We'll see Bella…this afternoon."

"No. They let visitors in at 10am, and I will be outside her room then. The nurse told me that her doctor would stop by around 11, so we can discuss her condition and I need to talk to my agent. I have to make the announcement."

"Don't you think you're jumping the gun?" My father wasn't talking about the injury not being a career ender, but more about the desire to make it official so soon.

"I'm not going to play again, why deal with weeks of speculation. I'll announce it and then the team will be free to move on and so will I. Now can one of you please help me?"

My parents relented and in the next few hours, I showered as best as I could with my casts, dressed, ate and had spoken to my agent.

By the time that 10am rolled around, I was sitting in my chair in the hall as Bianca walked out from behind the Nurse's station. "Good morning, Edward. It's good to see you out of that bed and back in the world."

"I wish I was back in it. How's my wife?"

Bianca looked solemnly. "The same. Dr. Rolands will be here in a few minutes if you'd like me to bring you in there."

"Thank you, Bianca."

We approached her room and she left my chair right next to Bella as she got to work checking the various machines connected to her and imputing the information onto her chart. I was looking up at my sleeping beauty when I heard the door open.

"Oh, Mr. Cullen, it's good to see you. I'm Dr. Rolands, and I'm your wife's neurologist."

I took a deep breath and extended my hand to him. "It's good to meet you. How is my wife?"

"Her condition is complicated. She has many more minor injuries, but on top of that, when she hit her head she had an intracranial bleed. Now, that bleeding hasn't gotten any worse since she underwent surgery when she first arrived here. Her coma isn't medically induced at this time, but in the future, it may be necessary. She has a lot of injuries and we need her to recover from those, so at the current time, her brain activity is promising. Once she regains consciousness, we can test to see if there was any permanent damage, but now the timeframe for her coma is what we have to watch. It could be a long time and she'll wake up with no difficulties, but she could wake tomorrow and have some problems. It's a waiting game at this point, but we're monitoring her very closely. I'm sorry there isn't more I can tell you."

I hadn't expected more good news from him, so to hear that the tests had shown the bleeding was still under control was something. Now I just needed her to come back to me. "Thank you, Dr. Rolands, that's good news. At least she's stable and nothing new has cropped up."

"That's always a good attitude to have, Mr. Cullen." The doctor left at that point, moving on to his next patient as my mother fluttered around the room, straightening things out, and only serving to piss me off.

"Mom, why don't you and Dad go back and get your things together, I know you have to head back to Forks. I'll call Emmett later to come get me."

"Sweetie, we don't mind waiting with you, our flight isn't until late tonight-"

"Esme, I think our son was politely asking for some time alone with Bella. We'll stop by later to say good-bye to her before visiting hours are over."

I felt bad for kicking them out, but my dad seemed to understand I wanted to spend some time with my wife. I moved a little closer and took her hand, the way I started my stories the past few days, with the gentle hum that let me know that somewhere in there, was the love of my life. "I couldn't sleep last night. They made the bed before bringing me home so the sheets didn't smell like your shampoo and bodywash. I know it's childish to get that upset over it…but I've gotten so used to it, that I can't sleep without it anymore. I can't live without you, Bella. You know, the funny thing is that all this has me remembering our first date. I'm sure you don't know it, but I was a complete wreck."

~%~%~%~%~

My punishment for the fight with Mike wasn't as bad as I had expected, but still, those two weeks were a slow torture. Bella and I saw each other every day in school, and we made out while she hung out at my house with 'Alice,' but the date she'd agreed to still hung over me. This could be over really quick if she had a shitty time.

We were sitting on the couch in my bedroom, on my first night of freedom and I was trying to plan this date in my head, something that Bella obviously noticed.

"Edward if you're bored, I can always go home and I'll just see you tomorrow at school."

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her closer and started kissing below her ear. "Silly woman, I was just thinking about where I was going to take you on our date."

Her face lit up and I knew I had to make it something good, despite the words I knew she was about to repeat to me. The same ones she said a thousand times in the last two weeks. "Edward, it doesn't have to be some big scheme, I just want to spend some time with you."

"If I can get us reservations at La Bella Italia for Friday, will you talk to your Dad about it?"

Her face scrunched up as she heard the name. "What's that? I've never heard of it."

"It's an Italian place in Port Angeles."

"You don't have to drive all the way to Port Angeles to go to some fancy restaurant."

I scoffed at her logic on that one and shook my head. "Bella, there are only two real places to eat in town, the Lodge, which I know you hate, and the diner. This place isn't super fancy, plus if we want to go to a movie we have to drive to Port anyway."

"How about this, dinner out and a movie in?" This woman was seriously undermining my plans here, but the thought of getting some petting during the movie was enough to sway me.

"Fine, I'll call the restaurant, you call your dad."

The school week that followed us agreeing to dinner was pure agony, as she seemed to be staying away on purpose, but when Friday rolled around it was so worth it. I knocked on her door at 5:30, knowing we had an hour drive ahead of us, and 7 o'clock reservations. Bella was ready when I got there so I walked her out to the car, an umbrella between us as I opened the door for her and then ran around to get in myself.

The rain was coming down pretty hard and some of the lights were out on the road, so I kept my speed slower than I liked, but when we got to the restaurant with a little time to spare, I was happy enough. Walking in, the hostess flashed me a bright smile, making sure to act as though Bella wasn't there. I noticed it register with her a moment before I pulled her closer to me and told the girl, "My date and I have a reservation for two. The name is Cullen."

We were led to a small table and thankfully, we had a male waiter who was old enough to be our father. He took our drink orders and then left us alone while we looked over our menus. Bella was tapping her foot under the table, her teeth firmly pressed into her lower lip, as she looked at the different options.

"They have some great fish dishes here, if you aren't in the mood for pasta." Her eyes flashed to mine and then settled on the left side of the menu, where the salads were. "Bella, order whatever you want, it's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"If I wasn't okay with the prices, I wouldn't have brought you here. I wanted tonight to be special."

Her hand reached across the table to rest on mine. "It was special the moment you picked me up. What do you say we relax and just be Edward and Bella?"

"I'd love that."

Our waiter returned and Bella ordered the salmon while I got the sea bass and then we settled into easy conversation. Most of the time she talked about the different stadiums she'd been to thanks to her stepfather, making me excited to see them myself someday. I wasn't used to being able to talk sports with a date. Seeing how well she knew the game made her that much hotter in my eyes, not that she needed the help.

We finished the meal and I paid the check quickly, taking her hand as we ran for the car. The rain was a lot harder and heavier than they had predicted. As we made it down the winding road back to Forks in the darkness, we hit a dip in the road and everything went black.

The engine died in a sputtering rush and with it the lights and music vanished. I reached for the door when Bella stopped me. "Edward, where do you think you're going?"

"I have to push the car onto the grass; if I leave it in the road someone is going to hit us. The water's too deep to try and use a flare to mark our location."

"Okay, I'll help you." Bella was reaching for the door when I stopped her.

"You'll get sick if you stand out there in the rain!"

"And you won't?" She fired back, but I was putting my foot down.

"Just try and call for help." I got out of the car and was thankfully able to use gravity to push it the last ten feet until we were safely off the road. I got back in the car to see Bella staring at a walkie-talkie. "What's that?"

"My dad. He keeps putting it in my bag, but I always take it out. I guess he thought I may need rescuing tonight." She smiled sheepishly at me but I was glad to see it.

"Hey, radio in. There isn't any service out here. It's a wonder we get reception in town."

Bella turned on the walkie and called into it, hoping her father would hear her.

"Bells, what's the matter?"

"Dad, Edward's car died when we went through some water. There's not a lot of lights on this stretch of the highway and we're stuck."

"Is the car still in the road?" He was clearly talking like the Chief now, but I was just happy that we'd be getting out of here.

"No Edward was able to get it onto the grass; it's downhill, so it wasn't too bad. We're at mile marker 87."

"Okay, you two stay put and I'll give the tow company a call before I come and get you."

"Thanks Dad." Bella smiled and I could hear him grumble before he spoke again.

"If Edward can't hear me, tell him I said thanks for taking care of you."

"You're welcome, Chief." I called out into the waiting walkie and then we sat there and waited. To pass the time, we played a movie game where you name movie stars. When the bright lights of the tow truck, followed by the Chief's cruiser flashed in front of us, we both sighed as it had started to get cold. I grabbed the things that I really needed out of my Volvo, then took the umbrella and ran around to Bella's door to help her out.

Chief Swan was waiting as we walked up to the cruiser, ready to open the front door for Bella and then the back door for me. I'm sure he was going to entertain a few ideas of how he could land me in that back seat for real now that I was dating Bella, but in reality, we were warm and I'd hopefully earned some major points with him tonight.

He stood watch as my baby was loaded onto the flatbed truck and then taken away before he walked back and got in the cruiser to drive me home. "So, how was dinner?"

"It was really nice. Edward was a true gentleman, opening doors, waiting with the umbrella so I wouldn't get wet, I'm just sad that we couldn't go and watch the movie with Alice and Jasper like we planned."

"So that little show of running around to Bella's door wasn't for my benefit?" I heard the smile in the Chief's voice, but I played the moment straight.

"No sir, my parents raised me to do those types of things. I've had years of practice with Alice."

Charlie's eyes caught mine for a second and then he turned back to Bella. "For all you go on about the good that phone your mother got you does, it was the radio that got you both out of this mess."

"There isn't good reception out in the boonies, Dad," Bella teased.

"If you had gone to watch the movie, how would you have gotten home? Was Edward going to drive you?" The Chief was keeping a close eye out for the turn to my house, so I didn't know where this could have been going.

"No, Jasper was going to on his way home. It would have been a little late for Edward to make the trip when he was already home. He or Emmett always give me a lift when we have a movie night."

We had just pulled up in front of my house when Chief Swan turned to me. "I'm proud of you son. You took good care of my daughter tonight, and as long as you do that, we will never have a problem. Now Bella, go let your boyfriend out of the back and enjoy your movie."

Bella's face lit up as she turned to face her father. "Seriously? Thank you, Dad!" Her arms found his neck as she gave him a tight hug and then took the umbrella off the floor of the car and ran around to let me out. We ran to the house and gave him a quick wave before heading inside to find Alice and Jasper already half way through their movie.

"Jasper, what time do you have to be home?" I asked as my mom walked in.

"No special time, why?"

"Because Bella and I were going to go upstairs and watch a movie, but she's gonna need that ride, so I didn't want to leave you waiting for her."

"Why can't you drive her home if she stays a little late, Edward?" My mom was drying her hands and I took a deep breath and told her the bad news.

"Some of the lower lying parts of the highway were flooded. I couldn't see how deep the water was, so when I hit one of them my engine died. Chief Swan had to come pick us up and have the car towed, but it's probably totaled."

"Oh my word! It's a wonder you two weren't hurt, but with the rain, I bet not too many people were driving. This rain was a lot worse than they predicted."

"Yeah, it was, but now we're going to have to carpool it even more than usual."

Jasper nodded and then turned back to the movie. "Well, I can get you all for school until you find out what's happening with your car."

"Thanks, dude. Shall we?" I turned to Bella, offering her my hand, which she accepted with a blush quickly flooding her face. We went up to my room, picked the first movie off the shelf and popped it in. Heading straight for my couch, we got comfortable and then proceeded to forget about the movie as we made out. Bella and I had talked and set up very specific rules because there were things that made her nervous, still being a virgin and all. I didn't mind it, because when you know what you can't do, it gives you very clear ideas of what's allowed, and the over the shirt action I got that night was a pretty awesome way to spend the evening.

~%~%~%~%~

As I finished the story, a thought entered my mind, where were Charlie and Renee in all this, and Phil? "Baby, it's funny, I don't think I've thought about that night in years, but it was that night that started my relationship with Charlie. He and I have always had a good relationship, even when you and I were fighting; he never completely shut me out like he could have. He's a good man and I'm going to find out why he isn't here, because I can't imagine him missing this."

I squeezed her hand a little tighter and kissed it, before wheeling closer to run my hand over her forehead. "I miss you, baby. Come back to me." There was more silence from my beauty, which caused a sigh to escape before I could even stop it.

"How's my Transformer?" I looked over to see Emmett poke his head through the door.

"She's good, the same, but that's something, right." Right now, I was 100% sure.

"Sure it is." He walked over and kissed her forehead. "Alright, Bumblebee, we menfolk are going back to your crib. I'll have Edward back here tomorrow, as early as he can roll his ass out of bed."

"I have a little business to tend to tomorrow morning, but I'll be here as soon as I can. Night Bella, sweet dreams."

Emmett wheeled me out of the room and down to the elevator, telling me that my manager called saying he'd be here in the morning and had set up the press conference just as we'd discussed. Emmett helped me into the car. When I mentioned I was hungry, he swung by McDonald's like we did when he'd visit us during college and then we headed home.

We watched some movies, but with my shit night sleep the previous evening, I was fading early. Noticing my fatigue, he helped me upstairs and threw me some shorts and a shirt I hadn't seen in years. "Em, where'd you find this?"

"Your mom found them with Bella's things. She said something about feeling bad about doing laundry or something and said she found a bunch of them, so you could sleep in them if it helped. Oh and lay down and tell me if you notice why I'm your best friend."

I looked at him like he was out of his mind, but once he had me under the blankets and cocooned in my pillows so I was properly supported I caught the familiar scent. "Emmett, what in the fuck?"

"I called Rosie, because I knew that she bought Bella bath stuff every year as part of her gift and she told me to go to Bath and Body Works and get 'Moonlit Path.' When I went in and found it, I bought a bunch of bottles of the spray like Rose told me. When I got back, she told me how to spray the bed so it would smell like it without killing you with it. You've got enough of it to last you a fucking decade because I never wanted to go back into that place, but there you go."

"How did you even know?"

"I stopped by and heard you talking to Bella, I didn't want to interrupt, but wanted you to know that I was there. When I heard it and got Rose on the phone, I figured that I could run the errand and still be back before you'd be ready to leave." He stood there looking proud of himself and in all honesty, I wanted to cry I was so happy, it was a small gesture, but it meant everything to me. It really meant so much that he went to the trouble.

"Thanks Emmett, and you're right, Jasper would have mentioned it to Alice, knowing that he'd be off the hook."

We both laughed until I was clutching my ribs, the pain from them silencing us as my best friend left me alone for the night. Lying in bed, the scent of her body wash surrounding me, I finally found a comfortable slumber.


End file.
